Muar Meanderings

Travel inspires us (and it's the muse for this blog). February was a good month because we spent a fair bit of time on the road.

The only problem with being away is, well, being away. Between the travel, the preparations that precede it, and the catching up that inevitably follows, it's been too long since we've had time to pursue a favorite weekend activity: road tripping. It's one of the joys of living in Kuala Lumpur, being able to jump in the car and find yourself somewhere interesting and entirely different to the city in the space of an hour or two.

At the tail end of January, before the Philippines and Sumatra, we spent a Saturday morning with an ebulliant retired imam in a village about an hour from Melaka. We'd gone there to learn the secret to making superior gula Melaka (palm sugar), in preparation for a presentation we'll be giving on the topic in Chicago next month (details to follow, for Chicago readers who have nothing better to do on a Sunday than listen to us yammer. Pssst - samples from the region will be available for tasting). It was a wonderfully productive - but exhausting - six hours, and we had to hurry back to KL for a dinner engagement. We decided to stop and refresh (ie. eat) in Muar.

Muar is, like Kampar and Temerloh, one of those overlooked yet intriguing Malaysian towns that remind us why we love this country. True, there's not much going on here. There's no major tourist sights, no spa hotels, no gorgeous beach, no - as far as I know - legendary restaurants. But the place has got personality. It's got it's own small-town version of hustle and bustle. It's got lovely (and, unfortunately, crumbling) pre-war buildings and its share of resident characters.

Muar is the sort of town we'd like to explore inch-by-inch over a whole day, rather than hit at warp speed in search only of something to put in our mouths.

We arrive at 1:30 with bellies rumbling (having skipped breakfast, not by choice but by dint of getting lost on the way from Melaka to gula) without map or guidebook (the older section of Muar is fairly small, but the town itself sprawls). But our snack-sensoitive radar kicks in, and with not much effort we find ourselves parking the car just a block away from a whole street devoted - in the middle of the day mind you, this is no night market - to deliciousness.

Jalan Haji Abu is anchored by Kim San Market, which is really just a Malaysian-style coffeeshop set-up, with a clutch of hawkers and a beverage service. We spy duck, roasted pork, a couple types of noodles. But we never make it inside. There's just too much happening on Haji Abu - vendors line both sides of the street for 1 1/2 blocks.

We start with fried shrimp noodles ('chao xiang mian' is what the sign reads) prepared at a cart parked across the street from the shopping center facing Kim San. Yellow mee noodles are fried not-quite-dry with shrimp, egg, bean sprouts, scallion, and fish cake. They're greasy enough to inspire a moment - just a moment - of guilt, before we give in to their so-bad-for-you tastiness. The not-too-fiery but very fishy sambal and a squeeze of kalamansi heighten our enjoyment.

And we're not alone. As we're scarfing we watch car after car pull up to the stall's 'drive-in-window' for takeout orders.

After lunch we stroll up the road and find stir-fried carrot cake, something not often seen on the street in KL. But we've just eaten, we're really not hungry, and we've got to hit the road. We keep on, but we're not buying, not tasting, just looking.

Muar is known for its otak-otak, pounded and seasoned shrimp (or fish) paste smeared on a leaf and grilled. OK, maybe just two. It's a local specialty, after all. Merely a light snack to hold us till we get back home.

We come to a wonton mee stall and keep moving - until we notice a man behind the counter making shuijiao ('water' dumplings) on the spot. Oh, alright. We love shuijiao. One bowl, please.

The pork filling is studded with garlic chives and pleasingly heavy on the black pepper, and the wrapper is perfect, neither thin and wimpy nor thick and flabby. We're very pleased with this find.

By now we really are behind schedule and our bellies are much fuller than they should be in light of the fact that we've got what promises to be an especially fine (and expensive) dinner ahead. But on the way into town we passed a busy fish ball noodle stall, parked all alone a couple of blocks away from the gluttonous frenzy of Muar's 'eat street'. Investigation is required.

Wide wheat noodles - chewy and obviously homemade - serve as the bed for these fish balls, a variation on the thinner fish ball-appropriate noodles we've come to expect in KL. They're tossed with soy and topped with greens, ground pork, and a few slices of indifferently roasted pork. Other than the pasta there's earth-shaking here, we think, until we taste the snow-white fish balls. Nubbly outside, they're Incredibly fresh and taste of nothing, we're sure, but fish flesh. There's hardly any bounce here, so little in fact that they could be described as delicate. The accompanying broth shows the same attention to piscene detail, with a whiff of the sea and copious bits of seaweed.

We may now be too full for dinner, but these fish balls are definately worth busting a gut over.

That night we tell our friends about lunch in Muar. Our suggestion that the little town might be worth an overnight stay elicits guffaws. Well, we don't know, but we'll certainly head back. There's just something about Muar.....

Fried shrimp noodles, fried carrot cake, otak-otak, heavenly shuijiao and, judging from the crowds around the stall, wonton mee - and much, much more - on Jalan Haji Abu. Fish ball noodles stall in front of Kedai Minuman dan Makanan Kiang Nam on Jalan Abdullah, a less-than-five minute walk. Muar, Johor.

Comments

[Nate]

Otak-otak isn't my favorite but the shrimp noodles and the won ton mee make my mouth water!

From the sound of it, I'm gonna have to find someone to take me to Muar for a couple days of gut-busting gluttony!

[Catherine]

Robyn - if you'll permit me a Grey's Anatomy-inspired moment - Seriously? Seriously? You should be as big as a house, and I reserve the right to forever hassle you about how much you eat v. how much you (don't) weigh. Just call me the green eyed monster today.

[RST]

Tsai tou kao = Mandarin
Tsai t'ao keh = Fukienese
= radish cake I am pretty sure. Not carrot. This is a well-known Chinese snack.

It's the triangular slab closer to the man. The egg goes on top.

[flymeng]

Nice photos and article. I don't remember if I have ever stopped by Muar. It looks like a small town which is lost in time. There are many cities in Malaysia and US which have never gotten a face lift over the years. When I went to Penang in 2004, my mum and I stopped over in Bidor for its famous duck leg egg noodle soup and chicken biscuit. I realized that the town has not changed for the past 50 years. My family would always stopped over Bidor on our trips to Penang and Cameron Highlands when I was a kid.

[Robyn]

Nate - get yourself down there. But skip breakfast the morning you leave. ;-)

Catherine - I don't eat like this *everyday*! Just a couple days a week. Anyway, you're one to talk. With as much chocolate and as many desserts as *you* eat you should be as big as 5 houses!

Richard - here in Malaysia (and Sing, I'm pretty sure) they call radish 'white carrot). This is radish 'cake' (called carrot cake) stir-fried with egg, bean sprouts, scallion, etc. Always greasy but delish.

flymeng - there's tons of towns in Malaysia just like this one. We were in another today (though much smaller) - Tanjung Malim (on the way to Bidor). I love reading reminsicences of Malaysia like yours. Keep them coming.

[flymeng]

Have you ever been to the Madras lane wet market on Petaling street? There is/was an old theatre which was rumoured to be haunted. It was burnt badly in the late 70's and rebuilt later. I am not sure if it is still standing. Anyways, back to the food at the market. There is/was a famous fried radish cake hawker beside the Madras theatre. I would watch him cook. He used garlic oil, egg, radish cake and chilli. I was always amazed how efficient he was with the cooking and his arms never seemed to be tired. Like you said, it was good and greasy. I like the crunchy tiny radish. Madras lane market is also famous for its Laksa. We would eat Laksa, fried radish cake and have a cold sugar cane drink.

[joy]

Simply delish! I'm loving your food blog. Salamat.

[Cynthia]

Robyn,
When I read your blog, I travel, I eat and I enjoy the sights and sounds with you. However, after reading your posts, it's back to reality where I'm insanely jealous and starving. You and David are torturers!

[lee]

Time to go make dinner. I wasn't hungry until I read your blog and I'm sad that what I make won't be nearly as delicious as anything you ate that day. Don't listen to your friends- the proof is in the tasting!

[Jem]

I was wondering too, how much do you weigh now? With all the "sinful" foods you have been eating, it figures then,why this country is "the world's highest percentage of overweight people country".

Well, we only live once. So, as the chinese saying goes, "Live to eat" (as against to, eat to live).

[food]

Fantastic write up! The shuijiao looks mouth-watering and the Wide wheat noodles seems to be a delightful dish.

http://www.food.org.au/

[DadofFourDadofFour]

I'm from Muar myself...But sadly only return to hometown once a year on average. Only in Muar, for the Malays, that you'd eat satay, mee rebus, mee bandung and the heavyweights for breakfasts at kopitiams around Muar! Heavenly!

[Pinkelle]

Hi Robyn from a Muarian! There are a lot more gems waiting to be discovered in this little seaside town, so do drop me a line when you next plan your trip there and I'll share with you some good eating spots :)